Based on a true story and largely filmed on location in Vienna, the Disney film Miracle of the White Stallions (1963) is a slow-moving yet inspirational movie based on the evacuation of the famed Lipizzaner horses during World War II.
Directed by Arthur Hiller, who went on to direct such classics as Love Story, Plaza Suite and The Man in the Glass Booth, "Miracle" deviated from standard Disney fare, most notably by the absence of cute children,
humor and gratuitous action.
With the war winding down, the riding school which trains the legendary circus horses is still threatened by Nazi bombing raids. Led by the school's director (Robert Taylor, in his last major role), a plan is hatched to remove the horses to safety, as well as to ensure the magnificent breed's survival.
Aside from Taylor, the cast features Hollywood notables such as Lilli Palmer, Curt Jurgens, Eddie Albert and James Franciscus.
